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Super Mario: The Power Star Journey
Super Mario: The Power Star Journey is a ROM Hack made by Fares242. It contains 97 stars and it was released on July 13, 2012. Changes Like most hacks, this hack implements tons of changes to the levels in Super Mario 64. These include: * 15 new custom levels (though 1 is a modified version of a previous stage) 6 secret levels, and 4 HUB worlds are added. * Custom music for each level. Very few is retained from the original * Removal of the 100 coin star. Almost every level in this hack has less than 100 coins, so it is not obtainable. * Only the specific star is obtainable for each level! Even if you can reach a section that houses a star, the star will be removed, so Mario must reach that area again during that stars mission only. In some levels, blocks, red coins, or secrets will be added to reach the star. * Somewhat of a new plot- Problems * Whenever Mario completes or dies in a level, it returns him in the middle of Overworld 1. ** This gets very annoying when in a far away level (Course 4 and 15 in particular) * Every time Mario exits a level via the start menu, it returns him to the TITLE SCREEN! ** Make sure you saved before exiting a level * The game crashes during the ending cut scene and rarely in levels (Course 7) Plot "Once again, Bowser comes to Mushroom Kingdom to cause trouble! But this time, makes it to STAR VALLEY & steals the King Star that was holding the power stars together, thus letting them spread! Bowser then builds a base in space called STAR BASE. But, worse is still ahead! Bowser at the end intends to use the King Star's power to absorb all star power from the planet! To beat Bowser, Mario must reach STAR VALLEY & use its space-blast cannon that can blast him to BOWSER'S STAR BASE. To do that, Mario must collect 80 power stars to open the door that Bowser sealed in STAR VALLEY. STAR VALLEY has a HIDDEN entrance you have to find. Can Mario get the job done?". This description was taken from a notepad which the creator included when downloading the ROM from his YouTube channel. The in game references back the plot up as, according to some toads in the first overworld, Bowser has stolen the King Star from the Star Valley and is planning to use its "unusual powers" to cause "catastrophic" problems. In addition, the King Star held the other power stars together, so now since it is stolen, the 97 stars have spread all over the area. Another toad located in the Star valley elaborates his plans by saying that he plans to "absorb all of the star power (apparently all planets have star power) from the planet". This will "overwhelm the planet causing a vicious reaction that will result in the destruction of the planet". Mario needs to collect the power stars in order to enter and reach the Star Valley. He must use a special "Space-blast cannon" (a normal bob-omb cannon) to shoot to the star in the sky where Bowser's base is located and defeat him. Nothing is mentioned about the Princess AT ALL. So we can assume she is not involved, or Bowser has kidnapped her again. Level Design The level in this game ranges from simple grasslands to a haunted asylum to a rainbow palace. Even though the themes are different, the levels for each stage are very similar. Most of the stage's 6 stars are similar, consisting of multiple climbing missions, some finding missions, 8 red coins, 5 secrets, a mini boss, with the last one being a secret hidden star. In terms of skills, this game requires a lot of side flips and wall kicks (with bad camera). Most of the jumps do not require triple jumps, but instead require side flips on small platforms in order to ascend higher. To even get to most of the stars, wall kicking up two vertical rectangular pillars in required. You will notice that almost all places that require wall kicks use the same two rectangles that Mario must wall kick up. The difficulty is not in the wall kicks though, the problem is either the terrible camera, or an unavoidable Goomba directly at the top. Speaking of enemies, this game has TONS of enemies in each level. Instead of just the 1-3 goombas, there are up to 15 in a room along with other enemies. The enemies this game seems to focus on are Goombas and Fly Guys, which are almost in every level. This game also loves to put in mini bosses, as all of them besides Chill Billy are accounted for. There is no new abilities or difficulty added to any of them besides a fire shooter (Kuromame) or two added. The levels themselves are on the smaller side. They usually contain a tower, mountain, or maze. They are all mostly linear, and you will need to revisit most of the level for multiple stars.The levels are also heavily inspired by other games. There is a small Hotel Delfino from Super Mario Sunshine, a desert modeled after Paper Mario, and much more. There are also the three cap switches, but the caps are used very seldom (most are only used once or twice) and are not needed to beat the game. Reception In terms of difficulty, it is all artificial, as the game is quite easy besides a few parts. The main difficulty comes in the form of Fly Guys, wall kicks with the camera and goombas, some corner jumps, and the crypticness of the game. Another factor is the tedium. Unlike a normal game where if you find a star accidentally you can get it, Mario may travel to a star's location, but if he is on the wrong mission, it has no purpose. On some of the stages, these locations can be really out of the way, and going through them again is frustrating. The camera also does not help. Being in Mario Cam seems to have the best effect. In terms of Cryptic-ness, it has its ups and downs. This game also tries to add a puzzle/logic aspect with its clues. On a lot of the stages, they will give you a small easy riddle or hint to find the star. Most of these are straight forward, but others require you to find a random warp. Most of these, though, and are signified by a line of coins. Play this hack if: You like following hints and figuring out where star locations will be before they appear. Avoid this hack if: You like exploration and hate repeating portions of levels. Levels Category:Hack Category:2013 Hack Category:Super Mario: The Power Star Journey Category:Major Hack